


Boils the Size of Golf Balls

by GargoyleVenus



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Luz Noceda Needs a Hug, Minor Lumity, Post-Episode: s01e19 Young Blood Old Souls, Protective Eda Clawthorne, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29624376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GargoyleVenus/pseuds/GargoyleVenus
Summary: Luz was just about to catch up with Amity when an arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and another clamped over her mouth, cutting off her yelp. Luz kicked and thrashed as she was dragged into a nearby alleyway, but the mysterious persons grip didn’t relent.“Cooperate and I won’t have to hurt you.”~Luz gets kidnapped by a mysterious person.What Luz will find out is why and how she will escape.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 26
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this fic!

Luz and Amity strolled through Bonesborough, enjoying the warm weather and the rare peace of the town. Bonesborough was usually such a busy place but today, there weren’t many people around. 

“Bonesborough is never this quiet,” Luz remarked. 

Amity looked at her with a warm smile. 

“It hardly is,” she said. “I love coming into town when it’s not busy, I wish it would be like this more often.” 

Luz hummed. 

“I like when it’s busy,” she told Amity. “There are always new people to meet, especially when I’m delivering potions.” 

“Well, that’s no surprise,” Amity chuckled. 

Luz beamed at Amity, causing her heart to flutter in her chest. Amity looked away, laughing nervously. 

“Do... do you have your book with you?” she asked Luz, internally cursing at the stutter in her tone. 

Thankfully, Luz hadn’t noticed. She pulled out her Good Witch Azura book and held it in front of Amity as if she were presenting a rare artifact. 

“I have it right here,” she answered and put the book back in her bag. “I’m all set for yet another book club.” 

“Good, because I’m not sharing mine again,” Amity proclaimed. 

Luz grinned smugly at her. 

“Yes, you would,” she said teasingly. 

Amity crossed her arms and glared jokingly at Luz; Luz felt nothing but adoration for Amity’s pouty lips. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Amity mumbled as she tried forcing the small smile away and failed. 

Luz giggled. 

“Do you think book six will be in the library?” she asked Amity. 

“I don’t think so,” Amity frowned. “I would’ve heard.” 

Luz groaned in disappointment. 

“I want to read it so bad,” she whined. 

“Me too,” Amity patted Luz’s arm comfortingly. “Do you have any ideas for what will happen?” 

Luz’s mood immediately lifted at the new topic. 

“Not really,” she answered. “Although, I always hoped that Azura and Hecate would get together.” 

Amity’s eyes widened and her head snapped towards Luz. 

“Really?” she asked, trying not to sound so eager. “Do you mean in a romantic way?” 

Luz nodded. Amity felt as if her soul had momentarily left her body. 

“It never happened so, I guess it’s just wishful thinking,” Luz said. 

Amity’s fingers fidgeted as she contemplated the next question she wanted to ask. She didn’t want to completely get her hopes up, so she shoved them down and opened her mouth to speak. 

“Do you like those kinds of relationships?” 

Luz nodded enthusiastically. 

“Totally! They’re awesome!” She said in an exuberant tone. 

Amity shook with excitement, refraining from jumping up and down like a child. She took a deep breath, calming herself. 

“Do you want to be in that kind of relationship?” 

Luz turned to Amity. 

“Are you asking me if I like girls?” she asked curiously. 

Amity blushed as excitement turned to fear and regret. 

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” she told Luz urgently. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfor-” 

“No, you didn’t!” Luz blurted. “It’s alright. I like both boys and girls.” 

Fireworks might as well have gone off in Amity’s heart because that was how happy she felt. 

“That’s nice,” Amity muttered blissfully. 

Luz smiled. 

“Thank you,” she said. “What about you? What are your preferences?” 

“I like girls,” Amity answered mindlessly. 

Luz suddenly froze in her tracks, unaware that Amity was too lost in thought to notice. 

Amity liked girls? Luz had no idea why that made her feel so... happy. Her face felt warm, her stomach squirmed as if she had drunk a glass of milk, and her heart pounded. Luz didn’t know why she felt this way. It shouldn’t matter that Amity liked girls and yet, the thought alone made Luz feel warm and fuzzy. 

“Crap,” Luz muttered to herself when she realized Amity hadn’t stopped walking. 

Luz was just about to catch up with her when an arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and another clamped over her mouth, cutting off her yelp. Luz kicked and thrashed as she was dragged into a nearby alleyway, but the mysterious persons grip didn’t relent. 

“Cooperate and I won’t have to hurt you,” a man's husky voice threatened in Luz’s ear. 

Luz had never been too good at listening. 

Without a second thought, she stomped on her assailants' foot as hard as she could. The man grunted in pain and when his grip weakened, Luz kicked him in the knee and fought free of his hold. 

“Amity!” Luz called. 

Luz had barely made it out of the alleyway when she was yanked back by her hood. Her cry caught in her throat when her assailant tangled a hand in her hair and bashed her head into the brick wall. Pain exploded in her head as she collapsed to the ground, her bag falling off her shoulder. Luz moaned in pain as she looked up at her attacker. His back was facing her so she couldn’t see what he looked like, he wore a long black cloak with the hood over his head. Her vision blurred as the man drew a spell circle and a glowing portal appeared, she couldn’t see what was inside the portal. That was the last thing Luz remembered before everything went dark. 

~ 

“Luz?” 

Amity didn’t know how long Luz had been gone, she didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed earlier. Amity’s eyes scanned the empty street, searching for her Luz. 

She’s not my Luz, Amity scolded herself in her head. 

Maybe Amity had made Luz uncomfortable, and she left. That thought stung. 

No. Luz would never do that, she was the nicest, sweetest girl in the Boiling Isles, she would never do anything to intentionally hurt her friends. There had to be a reasonable explanation for the human's sudden absence. 

“Amity!” 

Amity’s head shot towards where she heard the scared shout, a nearby alleyway. 

“Luz?” Amity’s voice shook slightly as she tried to push down the fear that threatened to wrap around her throat. 

As Amity raced towards the alleyway, a warm yellow glow emitted from it. It was gone as soon as it had appeared. Once Amity made it into the alleyway, there was nobody there. What she did see was Luz’s shoulder bag lying neglected on the ground... next to a small puddle of blood. The fear Amity had banished came roaring back with a vengeance as she staggered forwards, falling to her knees. She grabbed the bag and hugged it tightly against her chest as her breathing grew rapid and panicked. 

“Keep it together, keep it together,” Amity repeated to herself in a trembling voice. 

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared at the crimson puddle. Her limbs shook violently, her stomach clenched and knotted, her heart was trapped in her throat as her chest heaved with each desperate breath, and a million thoughts rushed through her brain at once while feeling completely empty. Amity couldn’t stop herself from jumping to the worst-case scenario, there was just no reasonable explanation for why Luz’s bag was found lying abandoned next to a puddle of blood. Against her will, Amity let out a dry sob. 

Where was Luz? Was she hurt? Amity had to find her. 

Amity buried her face into Luz’s bag, taking deep breaths. She could smell Luz’s scent, it helped calm her. With each inhale of Luz’s soothing scent, Amity felt her heart beat slow to its regular rhythm as the tightness in her throat loosened. Filled with fierce determination, Amity stood up, tossing Luz’s bag over her shoulder, and darted out of the alley, making her way towards the owl house.


	2. Chapter 2

Amity hadn’t stopped running until she arrived at the owl house. Sweat ran down her forehead and she panted heavily; Amity hadn’t run like that since she had been on the grudgby team. She could feel the familiar ache in her legs as she banged urgently on the wooden door, ignoring the bird tubes protests. 

“Ow! Hoot! That hurts! Hoot!” Hooty screeched. 

Amity jumped back when the door swung open, revealing the owl lady. 

“Do you have to bang on the door like that?” She grumbled as she rubbed at her temple. 

“I can’t find Luz,” Amity blurted. “I can’t find her. She was suddenly gone then... then there was blood, and then there was a glow, and her bag was on the ground, and-” 

“Alright, hold on,” Eda cut off Amity’s rambling, looking concerned. “Slow down, kid. I barely caught any of that. Blood? A glow? What do you mean you can’t find Luz?” 

Before Amity could respond with more incoherent rambling, a voice from inside called out. 

“Edalyn, who is at the door?” 

Amity tensed when Lilith appeared next to Eda. She was still mad at her former mentor for everything, but she had no time for that, so she swallowed her pride and resentment. Amity closed her eyes and slowly breathed in through her nose and out before speaking. 

“I need your help,” she told the Clawthorne sisters. “Can I explain everything inside?” 

Amity felt weird about inviting herself inside but, discussing an urgent matter at the owl lady’s doorstep felt just as weird. Eda and Lilith stepped aside to let Amity enter. 

“What’s the cupcake smasher doing here?” King glared at Amity from his spot on the couch. 

“Amity will explain when she’s ready,” Lilith told King as she sat next to him. 

Eda stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at Amity with her dual – colored eyes. Eda, King, and Lilith's expressions grew more worried as Amity explained what occurred at the market. 

“Wait, if you didn’t see what happened to Luz, then maybe she’s fine,” King remarked, although he didn’t look very convinced of what he said. 

“I think the evidence says otherwise,” Eda told King. 

“I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid but, everything about this looks bad,” Amity said. “Even if Luz is fine, I need to make sure of that.” 

“Agreed. Even if Luz is safe, it is important we do not take any risks,” Lilith stated. “Especially since Luz is now a fugitive of the law.” 

Amity clenched her fists. She did not like the sound of that at all. 

“I hate to admit it but, I’m not sure how much help we’re going to be,” Eda stated grumpily. “If I had my magic, I could find her in a second but... that’s not the case anymore.” 

“It’s better than me searching on my own,” Amity said. 

Amity frowned at that. If she was searching for Luz on her own, she would have no clue where to start. While she thrived at abomination magic, she still had some difficulty casting other spells, never mind performing a perfect tracking spell. Amity wasn’t sure how much help Eda would be without her magic, but it had to be better than what she could offer. 

“Alright then, let’s go to Bonesborough,” Eda proclaimed, wrapping her cloak around herself before grabbing her staff. “Do you remember where that alleyway was?” 

Amity nodded. 

“Great. Lily, stay here in case Luz comes back,” Eda told her sister. 

“I’m coming too,” King exclaimed as he scurried across the floor to climb onto Eda’s shoulder. 

“Let’s go,” Eda said, and Amity followed her out the door. 

She watched as Eda mounted her staff then turned toward her with an expecting look. 

“Are you getting on or what?” She asked. 

Amity blushed, embarrassed. “Right.” 

She carefully climbed on behind Eda. 

“Hold on tight,” Eda warned, and Amity wrapped her arms around her waist. 

Amity gasped and her arms tightened painfully as they took off. 

“Not so tight,” Eda wheezed. 

Amity grimaced and loosened her grip. 

“Sorry!” 

King looked at Amity over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. 

“Wuss,” he said dismissively. 

Amity glared at King but said nothing as they soared through the sky, towards Bonesborough. 

~ 

When Luz woke up, the first thing she was aware of was the thundering pound in her head. She groaned as she slowly sat up, it felt as if a stampede of elephants had run over her brain. The second thing she was aware of was that she had no clue where she had woken up. The room she was in was small with stone walls and a stone floor, there was a heavy, wooden door ahead of her, and there was a small, square window above her that lined with the ceiling, very little light shone through the dim room. Luz bit down on her lip, smothering a cry when a sharp pain stabbed her head, she held her head in her hands and froze when she felt something wet against her right temple. Luz pulled her hand back and saw blood painted on her fingers. Fear squeezed her heart as memories of a stranger attacking her rushed to the front of her mind. 

Who was that man? Why did he attack her? What was happening? 

It hurt too much too much to think about it. A gleam of metal caught Luz’s eyes and she looked down at her wrists where shackles were wrapped painfully tight around them. The shackles were connected to a chain nailed to the wall. Luz pulled at the chain, testing its strength but it wouldn’t budge. She had to find a way out of here. Luz patted her pockets, looking for her pen and note pad but they weren’t there. 

“Mierda,” Luz muttered when she remembered they were in her bag. 

The bag she had dropped. The bag that was no longer with her. Luz groaned as she leaned against the wall, this was bad. Very bad. What was she doing to do? Trying to come up with an escape plan was difficult when her brain was busy trying to break out of her skull, but she had to if she wanted to get out. Perhaps her brain will have better luck. Luz’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door unlock and groan as it opened. She looked up to see the cloaked man stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. Luz’s expression turned into a glare as she cautiously watched the man approach her, he crouched down so that he could meet her eye level. The hood hid the man’s face so Luz couldn’t see what he looked like. 

“Hello, Luz the human. My name is Claude,” the man – Claude greeted her formally. “Now, I realize I have put you in quite an unfortunate situation and-” 

Luz’s glare intensified, and she angrily kicked at Claudes leg, making him stumble. 

“Unfortunate isn’t the word I would use,” she spat venomously. 

Luz could see Claudes internal struggle to contain his anger through the way his frame tensed and untensed. He pointed a strict finger at Luz. 

“Don’t. Interrupt me,” he ordered before continuing. “I just want you to know that this is nothing personal against you. I just need to right an old wrong your mentor caused.” 

Luz rolled her eyes. 

Why am I not surprised, she thought. 

“A lot of people are mad at Eda,” Luz stated maliciously. “What makes you so special?!” 

Claudes' fists tightened so hard, his knuckles whitened. 

“Your mentor did this to me!” He growled and ripped the hood off his head. 

Luz gasped at the horrendous sight before her. All over Claudes face were boils the size of golf balls; they were red and raw with white, pearly centers filled with pus. Luz grimaced; they looked ready to burst at any moment. 

“Years ago, I had bought a defective potion, which was something I was unaware of when your mentor sold it to me,” Claude explained. “I’ve been stuck like this for years with no cure. There was nothing I could do to get my revenge on Eda, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, until now. Now she has no magic, and she has you as her apprentice. It was too perfect.” 

Luz looked down at her chained wrists, guilt welling up inside her. Even though Eda had assured her that it wasn’t her fault, Luz couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for Eda losing her magic. To make matters worse, several of Edas enemies would see her as weak or defenseless and try to go after her. 

“How this will work is that I will give the owl lady a week to make a cure, and if she succeeds then you’re free to go, but if she fails then I will sell you to a slave owner or someone like that,” Claude told Luz. 

Luz bit her lip at that frightening possibility. 

“I bet they’ll pay thousands for such a rare species,” Claude mumbled to himself before regaining Luz’s attention. “First things first, I need to send a message to your mentor.” 

Luz’s eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Claude, confused. Her heart dropped into her stomach when he pulled out a dagger with a curved blade. Luz’s eyes widened in horror as Claude grabbed her ankle, and she immediately began kicking at him with all her might. Claude yelped when Luz landed a hard kick on his jaw. 

“Stop fighting me!” He growled. 

Claudes grip on Luz’s ankle tightened as he dragged her towards him until the chain connected to her wrists was pulled taut. Luz’s panic skyrocketed when Claude sat on her legs, immobilizing them, and leaned over her with the dagger still in his hand. 

“Wait! No!” Luz protested as tears brimmed her eyes. 

She cried out when Claude placed a firm hand on the side of her face, pressing her head into the ground. The added pressure increased her pulsating headache, the pain forced tears out of her eyes. 

“Please... don’t,” Luz whimpered. 

She pulled desperately at her sore wrists, the clang of the chains ringing in her ears, but the chain stayed nailed to the wall. Luz’s breath hitched and her struggling ceased when she felt the blade against the back of her ear. Everything hurt and all she could do was wait for Claude to make the cut; her arms ached from pulling at the chain too hard, her brain felt ready to pop, her chest felt extremely tight, and her breath came out in thin wisps. She desperately wanted to beg Claude to show mercy or compassion for her, but her voice refused to work. Luz didn’t know how much time passed with the cold blade still pressed against her ear but, the anticipation was overwhelming. She couldn’t stop her shoulders from shaking as silent sobs wracked her form, Luz knew all the preparation in the world wouldn’t prepare her for the agony she would feel. Luz squeezed her eyes shut, forcing more tears out. 

“Damn you,” Claude muttered. 

Luz’s eyes shot open when she felt the dagger being lifted from her ear, she remained frozen as Claude grabbed her sleeve and cut off a chunk of the purple fabric. Before Luz could sigh in relief, Claude violently grabbed her jaw and turned her head so that she was facing him. 

“Misbehave and you won’t be so lucky next time,” he threatened in a low voice. 

“Without another word, Claude stood up and stormed out of the dim room, locking the door. Finally alone, Luz let herself break down. A mix of emotions; fear, relief, anger, and exhaustion washed over her in waves, each sob pulling at her exhaustion. She didn’t move to sit up, she only lyed on the dusty ground, crying her eyes out. Luz felt completely drained once she was all out if tears. Her limbs and eyelids were heavy as exhaustion clinged to her, she welcomed the darkness that swallowed her as her eyes closed. 

~ 

Lilith sat on the couch, her foot tapping nervously. She hoped Luz was alright. Lilith could see how much Edalyn cared for the girl, and if anything happened to her, it would crush her. After everything she had caused, Lilith couldn’t bear the thought of Luz being hurt again – even after she had promised to protect her. Lilith wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, but the human had begun to grow on her these past few weeks. While Luz was always very withdrawn with her, Lilith observed how she was around Edalyn or King. She was a beautiful soul, fascinated by the world around her, and constantly spreading happiness wherever she went. Knowing what a wonderful person Luz was strengthened the weight of Lilith's guilt. It had been easier to use Luz as a means to an end when Lilith only saw her as Edalyn's human pet, but that was cruel. Even if Lilith never gained their forgiveness, she would do anything to keep Edalyn and the others from harm. Although that proved to be quite strenuous considering they were all wanted criminals who constantly put themselves in danger. Lilith jumped when the house demons' screeches echoed through the living room, they sounded muffled. The door opened as she approached Hooty, who had a small paper package in his mouth. 

He spat it out. “Hoot! Hoot!” 

“What happened?” Lilith asked crucially. 

“Someone wearing a cloak appeared, stuck that paper in my mouth, and left!” Hooty answered. 

Lilith hummed, she peered out the doorway, but she didn’t see any cloaked figure. 

“So rude of him! That paper was gross! Hoot! Hoot!” Hooty complained. 

Lilith turned to Hooty with a deadpanned expression. 

“I have seen you throw up boxes.” 

She missed Hooty’s retort as she leaned down to pluck the package off the ground, there was a string tied around the paper. Lilith untied it and opened the paper, revealing a piece of purple fabric. She picked it out, rubbing it between her thumb and index finger. The fabric looked like the top half of Luz’s shirt, she almost hoped it wasn’t. When she looked down at the paper, she spotted a note on the inside. Once she read it, her eyes were blown wide, and she inhaled sharply. Lilith promptly bolted out the doorway, down the path that led towards Bonesborough, hoping to find her sister in no time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry this chapter is a little late. Last week was busy. Anyway I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Trigger warning for violence, and minor gore and cursing (in both English and Spanish)

Amity growled in frustration as she walked away from yet another witch. Eda, King, and Amity had split up to cover more ground, and for the past two hours, Amity approached every witch she saw, asking if they had seen a human girl with a cat hoodie. None of them had seen her but they knew of her, no doubt from the news broadcast weeks ago. Again, and again, Amity worried if she was just being paranoid, if she was making Luz’s mentor run around town for nothing. What if Luz had run away because Amity made her uncomfortable, and her searching all of Bonesborough for her would only creep her out more. 

Don’t be stupid, Amity scoffed at herself. 

Deep down, she knew that wasn’t true, but she couldn’t help but think the worst. The fear of possible rejection was still very much intact, and it created a dense fog around the fact that Luz wasn’t cruel. Amity shook those thoughts from her head and made her way back to the alley, she and Eda had agreed to meet back there once two hours were up. 

“Any luck?” Amity asked hopefully when she saw Eda leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, King on her shoulder. 

By the disconcerted look on Eda’s face, Amity already knew her answer. 

“Nope.” 

“Not even close,” King added bitterly. 

Amity let out a defeated sigh. 

“Do we just continue asking around then? That’ll take too long.” 

“Why don’t you cast a tracking spell,” Eda suggested. 

Amity froze as doubt began to seep into her. She had never bothered with learning to cast tracking spells with her training wand, she had deemed it an unnecessary tactic. Besides, who would she want to find? 

Boscha? Her annoying siblings? Her parents? 

Now it was the most important spell, and Amity hated herself for never bothering to master it. 

“I... I don’t know how,” she admitted begrudgingly. “I’ve never tried.” 

“I thought you were supposed to be a brainy top student,” King remarked before turning to Eda. “You’d think a brainy top student would know how to cast a simple tracking spell.” 

Amity crossed her arms defensively over her chest as she glared at the offending demon. 

“Let’s see you cast one!” She snapped. 

“I can’t do magic. What’s your excuse?” King retorted in a smug tone. 

“How about you two leave your bickering for after we find Luz!” Eda exclaimed before her face pinched in disgust. “Oh Titan, you guys made me the voice of reason, didn’t you? This is not a good look for me!” 

Eda sighed as she dragged a hand over her face. 

“Kid, can you at least try?” 

“I can,” Amity nodded. “I’ll need to learn the spell first.” 

Eda’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means we need to go to the library,” Amity replied. 

Eda groaned, she preferred to go to the library as little as possible. It definitely helped that her apprentice loves books and libraries, she was perfect for returning her overdue books. 

“Luz so owes me after this,” she grumbled. 

Before they could get far, they stopped when a voice called from behind. 

“Edalyn!” 

Eda watched as her sister frantically ran up to her, holding something in her hand. 

“I ran here... as fast as I... could,” Lilith explained between breathless pants. “Someone left this... I didn’t see who... it’s bad.” 

She handed the note and fabric to Eda. Her hands tightened around the paper as she read the words. 

If you want to see your apprentice again then meet me by the Titans skull at midnight 

Eda wanted nothing more than to kill the witch that had her kid. She would see to it. 

“What does it say?” Amity asked. 

Eda let out a humorless chuckle. 

“Well, you weren’t being paranoid, that’s for sure,” she said as she let Amity read the note. 

Panic gripped at Amity as anger burned in the pit of Eda’s stomach. 

“We aren’t going to wait until then, are we?” Amity asked frantically. “Who knows what this person will do to Luz in the meantime!” 

“Of course we aren’t waiting,” Eda answered as she acknowledged the purple fabric. 

She hummed, interested. 

“What is it, sister?” Lilith asked. 

“This witch just cut off a piece of Luz’s shirt,” Eda stated. “If I was going to send a ransom note, I would’ve sent a body part with it.” 

“Edalyn!” Lilith scolded. 

“What? It’s to assert dominance over the situation, to show you’re hardcore, that you’re not afraid to hurt someone.” 

Lilith continued to glare; Eda glared back. 

“Don’t get judgy on me, little miss Leave-your-staff-at-my-doorstep.” 

Lilith's glare faded, and she frowned guiltily. 

“I apologize for my hypocrisy.” 

Among other things, Amity thought bitterly. 

“King, maybe you can track this witch's scent,” Eda told King. 

“Maybe?” He repeated, offended. “You dare doubt the king of demons? I know I can track this feeble mutt!” 

“I believe it’d be best to go back to the house and track it from there,” Lilith suggested. 

“That’d probably be easier,” Eda said. 

King scoffed. “This going back and forth is exhausting.” 

“You’ve been sitting on my shoulder for the past two hours!” 

“And?” 

~ 

Luz still felt groggy and exhausted as she banged her chained wrists against the stone wall, trying to break off the cuffs or at least loosen them. She wasn’t sure how long it had been but, light still shone through the small window, signifying that it was still day. 

“Break,” Luz muttered weakly as she hit her wrists once more. “Break.” 

This was the best plan she could come up with, and her attempts at said plan were all fruitless. She couldn’t keep this up forever, each hit sent vibrations through the metal, and into her throbbing wrists, even the weakest hit hurt too much. Her headache had only worsened when she woke up, the pain was more than unbearable. All Luz wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep but the need to escape motivated her to stay awake. Although, that motivation was slowly draining as the metal cuffs remained tight and undamaged. 

“Come on, please break,” Luz begged tearfully as she desperately pummeled her wrists against the wall. “Break. Break. Break! Mierda!” 

Luz pulled her wrists into her lap as bolts of pain shot through them like lightning. A sob ripped out of her throat as she uselessly clawed at the cuffs. She just wanted them off, why did they have to be so tight? 

I bet Claude never bothered to think about that, Luz thought. 

She growled angrily and shouted at the ceiling. 

“Hijo de las mil putas!!! Que te folle un pez!!!” 

Luz leaned her head against the wall in defeat, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the white nicks on the stone. 

Wait a minute, she thought. 

Luz sat up as she focused on the little scratches and scrapes. She looked down at her chains, an idea forming in her head. Luz took the bolted part of the cuff and intently dragged it across the stone, creating a long white line. The hope that had dwindled away was now rushing back as she drew familiar runes on the wall. She tapped the glyph and a glowing orb formed; Luz had to squint her eyes as light illuminated her gloomy prison. She groaned in pain, the light strained her eyes and agitated her headache. Luz clapped two hands over the orb, and it disappeared. She smiled triumphantly; this was going to work. Luz proceeded to draw an ice glyph on the ground, trying hard to ignore the screeching of metal against stone that rattled in her brain. Once the glyph was finished, she placed the chain over it. Luz couldn’t use the glyph directly on the cuffs or else it would freeze her wrists, and that wouldn’t be pleasant. She activated the glyph and cold ice creeped around the metal chain, immediately making it crumble like dirt. No longer confined to the wall, Luz stood up on shaky legs and stumbled towards the door. She would have to break it down. 

Nothing a good old thorn vault won’t fix, Luz smirked to herself. 

She carefully kneeled and drew a plant glyph on the ground in front of the door, then she slapped her hand on the thin runes. They glowed green and a large, thick vine with thorns burst out of the glyph, slamming into the door and tearing it off its hinges. Luz clamped her hands over her ears as the door fell over with a loud thud. She quickly rushed out the doorway, climbing over the vine, and turned right where a sturdy staircase led up to a door. Luz leaned on the wall for support as she climbed the stairs on wobbly legs, each step was tiring and took an unreasonable amount of effort. It had felt like forever by the time she reached the door. Just as she moved to grab the handle, the door suddenly opened. Luz froze and her heart dropped into her stomach like a brick as Claude stared down at her, looking very displeased. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked calmly. 

Luz said nothing as she stared at him with wide eyes. Claude cleared his throat. 

“If you were smart, you would go back down those stairs,” he warned Luz as he gently brushed strands of hair out of her face. 

Luz shuddered at the touch. 

No, I won’t listen to you, Luz yelled in her head. I am getting out of here if it is the last thing I do! 

Before Claude could do anything, Luz kicked him between the legs as hard as she could. His face scrunched in pain, and he dropped to his knees as he let out a pathetic groan. Once he was down, Luz ferociously whipped the chain attached to her cuff at Claudes face. She could hear a popping sound that was drowned out by Claudes cry as he fell to the side. Seeing a clear path to the door that determined her freedom, Luz momentarily forgot about her pain and exhaustion as she ran straight to the front door. She barely made it when she was tackled to the ground, landing on her stomach. Luz wheezed and coughed, the impact forcing all air from her lungs. She wasn’t given the chance to catch her breath when she was flipped onto her back and hands wrapped around her throat. 

“You’ll pay for that, you bitch!” Claude screamed in her face. 

There was a red welt across his right cheek, and blood and pus streamed down his face from a boil that had burst. Claudes' eyes were clouded with rage, and he glared down at Luz with a burning hatred. 

“I’m done with your disrespect!” He shouted angrily. 

Luz gasped as his hands squeezed around her throat, cutting off her air supply. She began frantically kicking at him and clawing at his hands, trying to pry them off but her attempts were useless. Her injuries had left her too weak and frail to fight, and now she was going to die. Disturbing gargles and silent screams escaped her throat as she desperately scratched at Claudes wrists. Luz wanted to cry out in pain; she felt as if there were walls closing in on her brain, crushing it, Claudes fingers dug deep into the sides of her neck, she was scared her neck would break under his grip, her chest tightened, her ribcage felt as if it were being pulled apart, and her lungs felt like they were inflating like a balloon. Luz gagged and choked, she needed air, she was desperate for it. 

If anyone had asked Luz if she would have done this if she was in the right state of mind, she would have said no, but she was in survival mode when her hands reached towards Claudes face, and she plunged both thumbs deep into his eyes. He screamed in agony as blood spilled out of his sockets and down Luz’s hands. Claudes' grip on her throat loosened as he continued screaming, and Luz took that chance to kick him off. 

“You fucking bitch!!! I’ll kill you!!!” Claude screamed in pain and rage. “I’ll kill you!!!” 

That was enough to make Luz scramble to her feet and race out the door, leaving Claude to drown in his anger and agony. Adrenaline coursing through her body, Luz darted forward, unaware of where she was or where she was going. She just wanted to get away from Claude and her prison. Luz didn’t know how long she had been running when her knees buckled, and she collapsed. Ragged breaths left her scratchy and burning throat, the pain in her wrists radiated into her hands, making it hard to move them, and the sun and sky were unbearably bright. 

The sky was bright? How was the sky bright? 

Luz wanted to get up, she wanted to keep running until she found Eda, but she could barely move. Her body felt heavy and exhausted. 

“Luz?” 

A voice cut through the fog in her head, but she couldn’t interpret it. 

“Luz?” 

The voice was closer now, it was a girl's voice. It sounded nothing like Amity, Eda, or Willow. 

Who was it? 

Suddenly, a hand touched Luz’s shoulder. In a state of panic, her eyes shot open, and she swung her arm at whoever was going to hurt her. Luz heard the girl yelp as her arm made contact with the girl's shoulder. She immediately regretted her actions when she cried out from the new waves of pain that raged through her hands and wrists, beams of light stabbed her eyes, and hacking coughs were torn from her chest. Luz curled in on herself, pulling her arms over her face as the coughing subsided. 

“Luz, it’s me, Cat,” the girl said urgently. “Do you remember me?” 

Luz peeked over her arms and, sure enough, Cat was kneeling in front of her. She didn’t know how she felt about being this vulnerable in front of someone she barely knew but Cat was nice enough – when she wasn’t around Boscha. With that thought in mind, Luz lifted her head and squinted her eyes as she looked around, making sure Boscha or her other friends weren’t around. 

“It’s just me,” Cat told her. “I’m going to help you.” 

Cat looked over her shoulder before turning back to Luz. 

“There’s some shade over there. If you let me help you stand up, I can take you there.” 

Luz nodded and reached her arm towards Cat for her to wrap around her shoulder. Cat pulled Luz to a sitting position, careful not to irritate any of her injuries, and steadily helped her to her feet. Luz tried not to lean most of her weight on Cat as she helped her walk forward. They hadn’t gone too far when Cat gently lowered Luz to the ground in a cool, shady corner, hidden away from the sun. Now that Luz wasn’t hiding anymore, Cat could clearly see her face, and it took all her effort to keep her expression neutral. On the side of her head, dried blood matted her hair and stained the side of her face, her face was pale and there were dark bags under her eyes, a bright red dot bloomed in the white of her left eye, ugly black and blue bruises marred her neck, and the skin around her cuffs looked red and swollen. Whatever Luz had gone through, it hadn’t been anything good. 

“Let’s get these off,” Cat said, gesturing at Luz’s cuffs. 

She drew a glowing spell circle, and the shackles fell apart, freeing Luz’s wrists. Luz moaned in pain as she weakly held her wrists against her chest. 

“Can you hold out your wrists for me?” Cat asked, and Luz did as she asked. 

Cat gently took Luz’s wrists in her hands and looked them over, she couldn’t help but grimace; there were deep bruises circling both wrists like bracelets, the skin the cuffs had cut into were broken and bleeding. Her wrists looked very raw and tender, just like her neck. Cat wasn’t sure how the human anatomy worked but for a witch, this much damage to the wrists could result in nerve damage, she really hoped that wasn’t the case. 

“Luz, can you squeeze my hands?” she asked. 

Luz lightly squeezed both of Cats hands and instantly let go as white, hot pain shot down her wrists. She gasped in pain and fear, how could such a simple action hurt so much. Luz knew about nerve damage, knowing about all kinds of injuries was one of the perks of having a nurse for a mom but, experiencing it was very different from just knowing about it. She really wanted to speak, to ask Cat if she would be alright but she knew she would only hurt herself more if she tried. 

“Good,” Cat said. “Can I look at your eyes?” 

By the look of Luz’s bleeding head, and her sensitivity to light, it was easy to assume that she had a concussion, Cat still wanted to be absolutely sure. Luz nodded and Cat scooted very close until their noses touched, she looked intently into both eyes, focusing on the pupils; one was bigger than the other. Cat backed away when she noticed Luz’s head drooping, her tired eyes closing. 

“Luz, you have to stay awake,” Cat said worryingly. 

Luz groaned, she felt so tired. She didn’t care anymore, she fought as hard as she could through this nightmare of a day, she wanted to rest. Everything felt fuzzy as she let herself drift away. Cat bit her lip nervously as she summoned her scroll. She didn’t know why it occurred to her just now to call the Healers, she was training to be one herself, she should’ve known better. Cat felt so unprepared for this, it wasn’t every day she found one of her classmates lying injured on the street. 

“I’ll get you help,” she told Luz as she dialed the Healers number.


End file.
